Author: DW

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina broke down in tears on court after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals – hours after a Russian missile hit a children’s hospital in her homeland. “It’s a difficult day for Ukrainian people,” she said. “When you have these sad days where you don’t want to do anything, it was this kind of day for me,” she added.Svitolina, who was born in Odesa, wore a black ribbon on her top as she beat opponent Wang Xinyu 6-2 6-1 at the tournament.Writing on Instagram, Svitolina described it as one of the most difficult matches of her life, saying:…

A Moscow court on Monday convicted independent theater director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk for “justifying” terrorism in the “Finist, the Brave Falcon” play they collaborated on, which was written around five years ago and staged in 2020.  Berkovich and Petriychuk were sentenced to six years each in prison on the charges.  “Justifying” or otherwise defending “terrorism” is a criminal offense in Russia, punishable by up to seven years in prison.  The two women have already spent around a year in pre-trial detention, following their arrest last May that triggered outrage in literary and opposition circles. Berkovich made the heart-shaped…

In a landmark ruling on Monday, a Kenyan court found that the police acted unlawfully in it’s killing of a Pakistani journalist in 2022. Two years ago the Kenyan police shot Pakistani news anchor Arshad Sharif in the head, when they opened fire on his car. “The use of lethal force against Sharif by shooting him in the head was unlawful and unconstitutional,” Judge Stella Mutuku ruled. Sharif was a staunch critic of Pakistan’s powerful military and ruling elites. He was a vocal supporter of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is imprisoned in Pakistan. Sharif’s widow, Javeria Siddique, who launched the complaint, welcomed finally…

India took a lot of flak in the West for increasing imports of Russian fossil fuels in the face of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The world’s third-largest oil importer saw deliveries from Russia jump tenfold in 2022 and double again last year, thanks to heavy price discounts. India’s coal imports from Russia rose threefold over the same two-year period. Despite accusations of funding Putin’s war machine, New Delhi has justified the increase by citing India’s traditional “stable and friendly” ties with Moscow and its heavy reliance on imported oil.  As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this week, the Kremlin will…

It was an election night that stunned France, not to mention onlookers in Europe and beyond. When Sunday evening’s exit polls signaled an unexpected victory for a rapidly cobbled together alliance of disparate left-leaning parties, New Popular Front (NFP) supporters gathered at Paris’ famed Place de la Republique burst into a joyous uproar. For the far-right National Rally (RN), which dropped to third place in terms of parliamentary seats won, the news was much more somber. After winning the first round of voting for the French lower house, the National Assembly, on June 30, they seemed poised to take the premiership. In the end, Sunday’s…

A left-wing alliance in France has won the most seats in a dramatic election, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. Ms Le Pen’s National Rally was aiming to become the biggest party in parliament for the first time but was stopped by tactical voting and collaboration between its opponents.On this episode, Niall Paterson speaks to Europe correspondent Adam Parsons about the shock result and to Philippe Marliere, professor of French and European Politics at University College London, about far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon and whether he could be the new French prime minister.👉 Click to…

A UK court on Monday heard a civil fraud case alleging that controversial online “influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, along with a female accomplice identified only as J., were “serial tax evaders.”  What is the case about?  Devon and Cornwall Police in southwest England brought the case, alleging that the siblings failed to pay taxes, in any country, on revenues of some 21 million pounds (roughly €25 million or $27 million) from their online businesses between 2014 and 2022. “Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are serial tax and VAT evaders,” lawyer Sarah Clarke, representing the police, said. VAT means…

The significance of the Red Sea shipping route for global trade is enormous. But for over six months now, Houthi militias from Yemen have been attacking ships sailing in the region which they associate with Israel due to their owners or operators. The attacks have come in the wake of Israel’s war against the Hamas militant group in Gaza following its massacre of Israeli citizens on October 7 last year. The Houthis, who have sided with the Palestinians in the current Middle East conflict, sank a coal transporter with a drone strike on June 20. Responding to the Houthi attacks,…

At least 12 people died and dozens were reported missing, after heavy rains triggered a landslide in Indonesia. The mudslide crashed into an unauthorized gold mining operation on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Monday, officials confirmed. Around 100 villagers were digging for gold on Sunday in the remote Bone Bolango district in Gorontalo province. Gorontalo is one of the six Indonesian provinces on the island of Sulawesi, and located on Sulawesi’s northeastern peninsula. Rescue workers prepare for the operation at the site of a landslide that killed several peopleImage: BASARNAS/AP/dpa/picture alliance Heavy rains hinder relief efforts Indonesia experienced torrential rains, causing mud to plunge down…

Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been accused of failing to pay tax in any country on £21m of revenue from their online businesses earned between 2014 and 2022.Devon and Cornwall Police are bringing a civil claim against the pair – and a third person referred to only as J – over unpaid tax, Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told on Monday. The court was also told the brothers had “a huge number of bank accounts” in the UK, seven of which have been frozen.The police force is seeking around £2.8m in seven frozen bank accounts.Sarah…